Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata dies aged 55

Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata dies aged 55
David Scammell Updated on by

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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has died following a battle with cancer. He was 55.

Iwata was president of the company for 13 years, having originally helped develop classic Nintendo titles Kirby, EarthBound and Balloon Fight years earlier at HAL Laboratory.

He later led the company through three generations of home Nintendo consoles, starting with the GameCube following his appointment in 2002, through to Wii and Wii U. He also oversaw the launches of Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

He died on Saturday.

Iwata became well loved by fans for his sense of humour, humility and passion for games, and became known for his appearances on the firm’s live broadcasts Nintendo Direct.

Concerns over his health first arose in 2014 after he announced that he would not be attending major industry trade show E3, and that he would be undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from his bile duct. He later updated his Mii to reflect his weight loss following the surgery.

In remembrance of Iwata, Nintendo said that it would not be posting on any of its social media channels today.

Iwata

“Nintendo of Europe is today mourning the passing of Mr Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Global President,” said the company’s European president Satoru Shibata in a statement provided to VideoGamer.com. “It is difficult to put into words the sadness we feel at this time. Mr. Iwata was a strong leader, a unique figure in the gaming industry and an important part of Nintendo’s history. He was a visionary in every sense of the word and we will miss him dearly.

“Just as Mr. Iwata challenged us to always push forward, we will ensure his legacy lives on through our ongoing work to always surprise and delight our fans. At this time our thoughts are with his family.”

“Mr. Iwata is gone, but it will be years before his impact on both Nintendo and the full video game industry will be fully appreciated,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime added in a statement to benzinga.com.

“He was a strong leader for our company, and his attributes were clear to most everyone: Intelligence, creativity, curiosity and sense of humor. But for those of us fortunate enough to work closely with him, what will be remembered most were his mentorship and, especially, his friendship. He was a wonderful man. He always challenged us to push forward…to try the new…to upset paradigms-and most of all, to engage, excite and endear our fans. That work will continue uninterrupted.”

Shigeru Miyamoto said that he was “overcome with sadness”.

Developers, publishers and industry figureheads also paid their respects for Iwata on Twitter, with many thanking him for his contributions to gaming.